My Books
UPCOMING
Changing Woman Speaks: From Lost to Found in the Navajo Beauty Way
memoir by Brenda Kay Beck
Synopsis: Returning from a New York business trip, a fateful layover to northern Arizona sweeps me into the mysterious world of Navajo culture. My teacher is a respected Navajo medicine man who takes an interest in my skills. Soon I’m leading a double life,— entertaining clients in box seats at San Francisco Opera one night, and sitting on the ground in all-night tepee ceremonies the next.
When my company wants to promote me to the East Coast, I choose instead to marry the medicine man and follow my spiritual path. For years we serve the Native American community in California and Arizona conducting ceremonies and prayers whenever asked. But when a high-stakes ceremony goes terribly wrong, I lose everything,— husband, home, security, and trust in everything I’ve believed in.
Now a single mother in a dire situation, the Navajo teachings of Changing Woman guide me back to the light. And when a Navajo relative invites me to return to ceremony, the path forward becomes what diné elders have been teaching all along. The Navajo Beauty Way of staying in hózhó, (balance,) is the way to navigate this Changing World.
Condensing over thirty years of Navajo ceremonies, this true story invites readers to experience the Navajo teachings as I did and learn how the indigenous wisdom has shaped and enriched my life. It has been written with much love and respect for my Navajo relatives and the elders who carried the sacred stories into these times.
Hózhó nahasdlii. May it be in Beauty.
EARLY REVIEWS
A compelling read.
“The editorial team appreciated your clear relationship with the sacred teachings you are sharing, and your care in framing of those traditions from your perspective as a non-indigenous person. A compelling read.”
The world so needs stories like this.
“The world so needs stories like this. There are so many women who know there is more to this world than they are experiencing but feel disheartened and don’t know what that “something more” might be. Your writing will speak to them.“
Kinaaldá: A Navajo Girl's Journey Into Womanhood
by Brenda Kay Beck
Synopsis: On June 27, 2008 in Kayenta, Arizona, a Navajo girl and her family begin preparations for her kinaaldá, the four-day Navajo coming-of-age ceremony which marks her arrival into womanhood. Carefully following the teachings and prayers passed down orally through generations, the medicine man leads her in a recreation of the first kinaaldá created by the Holy People for the Navajo diety, Changing Woman. By walking in Changing Woman's footsteps throughout the ceremony this young lady's life is changed forever and the sacredness of womanhood is awakened within her.
Self-published in 2012 as a gift to our Navajo family who made my daughter's kinaaldá possible. Reprinted with addendums in 2014, 2018, and 2021 for private distribution. Currently out of print.
Contributing Writer
The Words You Were Looking For:
An Anthology of Winners and Finalists from the 2025 San Francisco Writers Conference Writing Contest
Published February, 2026.
Available on Amazon.com.
Excerpt: Changing Woman Speaks: From Lost to Found in the Navajo Beauty Way
Finalist, Adult Nonfiction
2025 San Francisco Writers Conference Writing Contest
Contributing Writer
Mosaic Voices:
An Anthology of Winning Stories and Poetry from the 2024 SouthWest Writers Writing Contest.
Published October 24, 2024
Mosaic Voices©SouthWest Writers.
Available on Amazon.com
Excerpt: Changing Woman Speaks
2nd Place, Unpublished Memoir
2024 SouthWest Writers Writing Contest